Simple virtues of Confucius in a neighborhood
The Confucian Temple on Wenmiao Road sits in an old neighborhood where the traditional way of life persists, adding a charm that complements the solemnity and historical significance of the religious site in its midst.
I disembarked at Laoximen Metro Station and walked along Zhonghua Road. I was immediately struck by the dichotomy.
On one side of the road is an upmarket community of 30-story apartment blocks with glass façades. On the other side are low-rise, shabbier buildings and a variety of shops selling dim sum, sausages, second-hand books and electrical appliances.
From the road, back lanes fan out. On a web of overhead cables, clothes were hung out to dry. A spittoon sat in front of a door, a man sharpened knives in the lane, women washed vegetables in big bowls outside, and dogs napped on doorsteps.
“If you are not guided by a resident, you could easily get lost in the lanes,” Wang Jialiang, neighborhood Party secretary and a longtime resident, told me.
Perhaps in tribute to Confucius, the names of most roads in the area contain the Chinese character or “learning.” Other street names come from the history of the area. Menghua Street refers to a watchtower established for defense against Japanese pirates in the Ming Dynasty (13681644).
At the gate to Puyu Lane, I stopped to look at Chinese couplets, carved on wood. Looking up, I saw balconies with wooden frames, which reminded me of my days as a child living in my grandparents’ old house.
A middle-aged woman broke my nostalgic moment.
“Come, come,” she beckoned putting down the laundry fork she was using to hoist garments onto a line and inviting me to tour the Puyu Lane neighborhood.
Located at the intersection of Penglai Road and Xuexi Street, this traditional residential neighborhood was built in 1925. It originally was the site of a home for the disabled and terminally ill, but later was turned into a prison. All that is gone now.
“As a pilot program for renovatin old residential neighborhoods, Puy Lane underwent a big overhaul i 1984,” Wang said. “All the houses wer repossessed by the government. Tw or three floors were added to existin buildings and private bathrooms an kitchens were installed.”
In 2012, Puyu Lane was designate as a cultural heritage site.
“Originally, my family lived in th No. 12 building, but after the renov tion, we moved to building No. 30 said a 78-year-old woman surname Xu, who has lived in Puyu Lane fo half a century.
As we were talking, an elderly ma approached Xu and asked her to he distribute “longevity” noodles to loc residents to celebrate the birthday o a Buddhist deity.
Feeling hungry myself, I looked fo a restaurant on Wenmiao Road, wher numerous vendors sell street food an other items. It was once an area f mous for its snacks.
“The food that I liked best was pan fried bun with beef,” said Wang. “Whe I was young, people would spend u to 10 yuan (US$1.59) to sample all th food sold on the street. It was th good.”
A 66-year-old man told us his f vorite food was toasted marshmallo with hot and sour vegetable. He r called begging his parents for th pennies to buy it.
Not only has the street food lo some of the luster of the past, but th neighborhood itself has undergon many changes.
“The places of my childhood hav